Featured plants in the Lou!
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St. Louis Summer Plant Combos!
Remember last January when we thought spring would NEVER come, let alone summer? Well, hard to believe Labor Day Weekend-the unofficial end of Summer, is fast approaching, and if you’re like me, you…
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August Perennial of the Month-Black-eyed Susan
An Old English poem titled ‘Sweet William’s Farewell to Black-Eyed Susan’ is supposedly the origin of the common name for Rudbeckia fulgida. This Missouri native might have English roots, but she knows how…
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August Shrub of the Month-Crape myrtle
It happens every summer. I get emails or phone calls asking, “What’s that big bush with the pink flowers on the corner of….” The reaction is usually surprise when I say it’s a…
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August Tree of the Month-Willow oak
There is an oak for just about every location. The diverse genus, Quercus, has a range of species that prefer high and dry, or low and wet. One that will tolerate a more…
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Garden-Lou visits the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area Sunflower Fields
Bees love them, birds love them, but what the Missouri Department of Conservation people didn’t realize, is that people love them too! Sunflowers have to the happiest flowers on the planet. Just look…
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July Tree of the Month-American Linden
The American linden, or basswood tree, Tilia americana, is one of our largest native shade trees. Naturally found on slopes, at the base of bluffs, or along streams, when planted in a park-like…
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July Shrub of the Month-Bottlebrush buckeye
Native to the south and eastern regions of St. Louis, bottlebrush buckeye, Aesculus parviflora, tolerates the soil and weather extremes of St. Louis well. Add to that the large, showy flowers, shade tolerance,…
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July Perennial of the Month-Russian sage
Spring is over, the heat and drought have arrived, and many gardens are starting to show some wear and tear. After the peonies, iris, and other Act I seasonal favorites, Act II begins,…
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June Perennial of the Month-Cranesbill geranium
In 2015 Geranium x cantabrigiense ‘Biokovo’ was voted Perennial Plant Association’s Plant of the Year. Even without the title, gardeners have loved this perennial for years, and I can’t imagine my garden without…
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June Shrub of the Month-Elderberry
If ever there were a Cinderella story in the plant world, it would have to be Sambucus canadensis, more commonly known as elderberry. This native was considered a weed by the average Joe…
